CINCINNATI – Centre women's basketball began the 2021-22 season Friday, falling by a 68-59 final against Ohio Wesleyan in the Lauren Hill Tip-Off Classic hosted by Mount St. Joseph.
 
Payton Herold finished with a career-high 22 points for the Colonels (0-1), but the Battling Bishops (1-0) used a fast start to take command of the contest.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Battling Bishops came out on fire, going on a 9-0 run to start the game.
- Despite eight first-quarter points from Herold, OWU led 26-16 after shooting 65% from the floor across the first 10 minutes.
- Both sides struggled to score to open the second quarter, as only four total points were scored more than three minutes into the frame. OWU would eventually lead by a 43-24 score at the halftime break.
- The Colonels went on out-score the Battling Bishops during the third and fourth quarters, but could never trim the deficit to single digits until a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Mackenzie Marovich to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Herold went 7 of 11 from the floor and 3 of 5 from long range, adding three rebounds and an assist. Emma Rose Vincent and Taylor Garrett followed with eight points apiece.
- Presley Chirico led Centre with eight rebounds, while Bailey Rucker paced the squad with six assists.
- Centre surrendered 29 turnovers to go with just 10 assists. OWU totaled 34 points off turnovers.
- The Battling Bishops finished with a 12-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
 
UP NEXT
- Centre meets Spalding at 2 p.m. Saturday to finish its season-opening trip to MSJ.